Panthers go above and beyond to re-sign Brad Marchand

Brad Marchand is staying with the Florida Panthers -- possibly for the rest of his NHL career.

As first reported by Elliotte Friedman on Monday, Marchand has agreed to a six-year extension with Florida, a deal that locks him up through age 43. Per Friedman, the deal is for just under $32 million total, an AAV around $5.3 million.

With the agreement, the Panthers were able to extend all three key players that were set to hit free agency. They recently reached an eight-year extension with forward Sam Bennett worth $8 million annually, and are also reportedly retaining defenseman Aaron Ekblad for an eight-year extension worth an extremely team-friendly $6.1M per year.

The Panthers now have the following players signed through at least the 2029-30 season:

F Alexander Barkov
F Sam Bennett
F Anton Lundell
F Brad Marchand
F Sam Reinhart
F Carter Verhaeghe
D Aaron Ekblad
D Gustav Forsling
D Seth Jones

They've been to three straight Stanley Cup Finals and won the last two Cups in a row. So, it's clear that the Panthers and GM Bill Zito are going all-in on building a dynasty down in Sunrise.

^{Brad Marchand}

Back to Marchand ... it appears that the long-term security of his contract appealed to him. There were whispers that he could achieve the $32 million mark on his next deal, but for four years. The Panthers decided to tack on the extra six and make Marchand happy.

Marchand has also long desired to keep playing into his 40s, if Father Time would allow. His Conn Smythe-worthy run with the 2025 Panthers proved that he still has plenty left to give, particularly if it's in a situation like Florida's. He can play a middle-six role and get favorable matchups, and there's much less burden on him to be a top scorer or locker room leader as well.

The Panthers remain the NHL's worst nightmare, and Marchand is more than happy to haunt fans in other cities for a long time.